Degree in Media Studies from the University of Trieste. He worked in the field of international cooperation in Kosovo before becoming a journalist. He has been living and working in Sofia since 2005 and in Bulgaria he has collaborated with various Italian and international media providers. He speaks Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene and Macedonian. Based in Sofia, he has been working for Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso since 2006.

Articles by Francesco Martino

More and more power in the hands of President Aleksandar Vučić, mainstream press too friendly with power, growing difficulties for independent journalism. Serbia's media today, told by Stevan Dojčinović, director of the KRIK investigative portal

From his recent arrest during an investigation on corruption in public procurement to the murder of TV host Viktoria Marinova, Bivol's investigative journalist Dimitar Stoyanov gives an overview of the criticizes of information in Bulgaria

Bulgaria currently holds its first, historic presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU: in these very same months, however, the main international observers have continued to place the country as the last in Europe for freedom of the media

Serbia increasingly appears as a central hub in the Balkans for the Chinese-led "Belt and Road Initiative", both at an infrastructural and a political level. We discussed about it with Dragana Mitrović (University of Belgrade)

Wild, untamed mountains, poverty, and massive depopulation. In the villages of northern Albania, some resist the temptation to escape to the city and hope for a new beginning, made of sustainable rural development and alternative tourism. Our report

In Montenegro - NATO member country and EU candidate - attacks against the press are numerous and a journalist may be imprisoned for his investigative work. It is the story of Jovo Martinović, currently under trial. Our interview

Chinese presence in the Balkans is rapidly growing, mainly through its "Belt and Road Initiative" - the new Silk road linking East and West - which brings opportunities but also risks to the region. An interview with the financial analyst Jens Bastian

The signing of the good-neighbour agreement with Macedonia, long pursued by Bulgaria, is undoubtedly a success for Sofia's diplomacy. However, the practical and long-term effects of the agreements remain to be seen